Catholicism Glossary: B

Baptism: The essential sacrament that washes away original sin and welcomes the baptized person into the Church.

Holy Trinity: The Catholic belief that God, the one Supreme Being, is made up of three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

bishop: A man ordained first to the priesthood, then elevated to the next level by the pope. A bishop oversees a diocese; an archbishop oversees an archdiocese.

Byzantine Catholicism; Eastern Catholicism: A branch of Catholicism that recognizes the authority of the pope and celebrates the sacraments, but whose rituals differ from those of Western or Roman Catholic sects.